Missing
by PinkAngel17
Summary: What if Morgan took the job in New York, but when he came back something was missing? M/G of course
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds!!

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He couldn't believe it'd been a six months. Six months since he'd step foot in the BAU, six months since he'd seen the team, six months since he'd seen or talked to Penelope Garcia. He'd missed them all, but most of all he missed his princess.

Derek Morgan was driving down the highway on his way back to Quantico. It'd been six months since he took the job in New York and now he was on his way home for good. He'd tried to get use to the new position, but he preferred being out in the field more. But that wasn't the only reason he didn't like it. He found that he wasn't laughing as much, that the cases bothered him more, and he felt that there was just something missing. He had a pretty good idea what it was, or in this case, who it was.

So he'd asked for a transfer and after a lot of talks from the higher ups he finally got it. Now he was on his way home to surprise the team. Everything would be back to normal.

When he finally reached Virginia it was late and, though he really wanted to find Penelope and wrap her up in his arms, he didn't want to disturb her so he went to his old house that he luckily still hadn't sold. He went inside and just laid on his sofa. As he laid there he thought about Penelope and as he fell asleep he had a peaceful smile on his face.

As he walked down the hall towards the BAU he couldn't help but smile. Other agents who knew him waved and he nodded his head or waved back. When he reached the BAU bullpen he stopped and watched his ex-team mates from far enough away that they wouldn't notice him immediately. Reid was hard at work on what appeared to be reports while Emily tried to distract him and JJ sat laughing and giving Emily tips.

Morgan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and watched until he saw Hotch and Rossi walking toward the others. He stood up straight and smirked before walking closer.

"Hey JJ you mind moving, you're at my desk." He said casually as he set his bag down by his old desk.

After he said this there was an intake of breath and the sound of something hitting the floor. He looked up and had to laugh at what he saw. Hotch was smiling slightly, Rossi's eyebrow was raised, JJ was covering her mouth, Emily's jaw was hanging open, and Reid was on the floor with a tipped over chair and a surprised look on his face.

After a second of silence Emily came forward on hugged him. She was followed by JJ and then Rossi who stepped forward to shake his hand. Once Reid had picked himself up off the floor he too walked up to Morgan, who ruffled his hair and then Hotch was the last to shake his hand.

"So the big shot's come to visit us humble profilers, huh?" Emily said.

"Something like that." Morgan replied with a smirk.

"Alright Morgan what's going on?" JJ asked as she crossed her arms. "You have that look on your face." She said suspiciously.

"I'm transferring." He said.

"Where to?" Reid asked.

"Here."

"Wait you mean here, as in the BAU?" JJ asked excitedly.

"Yep. I'm back for good." Morgan said with a smile. "That is if Hotch agrees." He added as he looked at Hotch.

Hotch stood there with a serious look for a minute before walking forward and holding out his hand.

"Welcome back Agent Morgan." He said with a slight smile as they shook hands.

"Thanks Hotch." Morgan said.

"I can't believe you're actually back!" Emily said disbelievingly.

"So the job just wasn't for you?" JJ asked.

"Kind of. I'll explain later, I should probably go see Garcia before she finds out for herself and kicks by butt for not going to see her first." He said with a large smile and a laugh. But the smile faded when he saw the sad looks of his teammates. They were glancing at each other with frowns and avoiding is eyes.

"What wrong?" He asked worriedly. "What's happened to Garcia?"

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So what do you think so far?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds!!

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"_What wrong?" He asked worriedly. "What's happened to Garcia?"_

The team just continued to look at each other and avoid Morgan's gaze as he became increasingly worried.

"Tell me." He said and caught Reid's eye.

"She's fine, or at least we guess she is…" Emily began.

"What do you mean you guess?" He asked now starting to get angry.

"Morgan, she transferred." Hotch said seriously.

"Where to?"

"That's the thing, you see we don't know." Reid said sadly.

"Excuse me?" Morgan asked not sure he was understanding them.

"She was transferred, but she didn't tell us where to so we have no idea where she is." JJ explained.

"She's been gone for over five months." Hotch added.

"You didn't try to find her?" Morgan asked.

"Yes we did, but we couldn't find her. She just… disappeared." Emily answered.

"So you just gave up?" Morgan asked not believing what he was hearing.

"She obviously didn't want us to know where she is and we couldn't look forever." Rossi said.

"I don't believe this." Morgan whispered to himself as he pulled out his phone and dialed Garcia's cell. He prayed she would pick up, but after a minute of no answer he hung up.

"We tried Morgan. Trust me we did." JJ said.

"Have any of you talked to her since she left?" Morgan asked as he ran a hand over his head.

"She e-mails us once every month or so." Reid answered.

"And before you ask, we did try to trace it, but she routed it through so many channels it wasn't traceable." Emily added.

Morgan sat down in his chair and let out a breath. He shouldn't have left. Now Penelope was gone and he had no idea where to start looking.

"Sorry Morgan." Reid said sadly. "We miss her too."

"Yeah I know it's just…" He began, but didn't think it was the best time to get into why he came back or how much he needed her. "I have to find her."

"We will." JJ said reassuringly. "In the mean time just remember, Garcia's been on her on for a long time so she can take care of herself."

'She shouldn't have to.' Morgan thought as he rubbed his eyes then looked up at the others.

"When was the last time she e-mailed you?" He asked.

"A little over a month ago." Hotch answered.

"So she we should hear from her soon." Emily said trying to make Morgan feel better.

The team knew how Morgan felt about Garcia and knew what this was probably doing to him. They needed each other, even if they wouldn't admit it.

Just then a phone rang. JJ reached into her pocket and took out her cell before walking a few feet away.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Morgan asked mostly to himself.

"Right before she left, Garcia asked us not to tell to." Reid answered.

Morgan looked over at JJ as she walked back over to them and stood up.

"I remember that look." He said with a slight smile.

JJ just rolled her eyes before turning to Hotch. "We have a case." She said.

"Looks like you're just in time Morgan." Rossi said as they headed to the briefing room.

Morgan remained silent and just kept walking. The only thing he wanted to do was go out and look for Garcia, but he needed to think. So he set down at the table and tried to listen as JJ went over the case details. He would never stop looking for her and, no matter how long it took, he would find her.

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So how did you like it?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: As you all know, I don't own Criminal Minds, but if I did…

Sorry this chapter took so long, I've been kind of busy lately. I'll try to post more often now. Hope you like it!

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Morgan hung up his phone and sat back with a sigh. He was sitting at his desk in the bullpen and had just got off the phone with a friend from the Virginia precinct. It had been two months since he returned to the BAU and he still had no idea where Garcia was. Whenever they didn't have a case the team was making calls and trying to track her down, but they hadn't had any luck. He ran his hands over his face and thought back over what he knew.

Apparently she had left right after the team finished a case and was gone before they got back. Her office was cleared out by the next day and the director told Hotch that she had transferred. Her apartment was packed up by movers who had no idea where she was moving to and when they had her cell tracked they found it in one of the boxes.

He had to admit that the team had been thorough. They had put an APB out on her car, had got a tech to keep tabs on her credit cards, and tried to get information out of the higher ups, but they still came up with nothing. It was if she really had disappeared. The only reason they hadn't filed a missing persons report was because she e-mailed them and assured them she was fine but refused to tell them where she was. She simply asked them how they were and if anything interesting had happened.

Morgan had called all his cop friends and JJ had called some of her contacts to keep an eye out for her, but they still didn't have a single clue where she could be. And to make it worse, she hadn't contacted them in over three months. They all checked their e-mails every chance they got and even Hotch was beginning to show signs of worry. Morgan knew something was wrong, he could feel it, but he didn't know what else to do.

As Morgan sat there and stared into space he felt the guilt begin to surface again. He should never have left. When he had told Penelope he was leaving she had congratulated him, but he should have listened to his gut when he saw the sad look in her eyes as she hugged him. Now he may never have the chance to tell her how much she meant to him.

He looked up when a paper bag was suddenly dropped on his desk.

"Lunch." JJ explained with a sad look before giving Emily and Reid a bag too. They had all been depressed since they stopped hearing from Penelope. The cases started bothering them even more than usual and they got frustrated easier. It was almost as if their light had been taken away.

JJ sat down in a spare chair by Reid's desk as Hotch and Rossi walked over and took a seat as well. It had become a habit that whenever they didn't have a case they would all get together for lunch and go over ideas about what they could do to find Penelope.

"How was Garcia acting during that last case?" Morgan asked.

"Um, I'm not sure." JJ said sounding slightly guilty.

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked trying not to sound upset. He knew it wasn't there fault, but he couldn't help feeling that they should have done something.

"It was a really tough case and I guess we just weren't paying attention." Emily answered. "We were away for two weeks and the case was getting to us."

"Getting to you? What about Penelope?" Morgan said angrily.

"Morgan, I asked her if she was ok and she said she was fine. I tried to get her to talk but she would just change the subject." JJ said.

"She sounded sad, but no more than she usually does during those kinds of cases." Reid added looking thoughtful.

"Do you think it was the case?" Emily asked no one in particular.

"No, I don't think so. I mean it might have helped, you know like the last straw kind of thing, but now that I think about it she was acting…different before the case." Reid said.

"How so?" Rossi asked.

"I saw her walking toward her office and said hi, but it was as if she didn't see me. She looked really distracted. I was going to ask her what was wrong, but we got a case before I could and she was gone when we got back." Reid explained. "I'd actually forgotten about it until now." He said sounding surprised and guilty at the same time.

They were silent for a couple of minutes as they each thought to themselves.

"I'm sorry." Morgan said quietly. "I know it wasn't any of your faults, I'm just worried. I…" He said and trialed off.

"It's ok Morgan, we understand." Hotch said.

"Do you think she's ok?" Emily asked quietly after a few seconds as she looked down at her food.

The team looked around at each other sadly, but remained silent as they tried not to think about what could have happened to their friend.

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So what do you think? You'll probably find out what happened to Garcia in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds.

Ok, you guys are probably going to hate me after this chapter. Not only is it short the ending is kind of a cliff hanger. But I promise that you'll find out about Garcia in the next chapter!

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Two days later the team still didn't have a case, so Morgan, Emily, and Reid were sitting at their desks doing paper work and making calls when Hotch came jogging down the stairs. They watched as he poked his head into JJ's office before hurrying back towards them with a serious look on his face as JJ followed him.

He was trying to hide it, but Morgan could see the worry in his eyes and the tension in his steps as he hurried over with JJ just behind him. Rossi came down the stairs and stood by Reid's desk just as Hotch stopped in front of them.

"Get your bags. The plane leaves in half an hour." Hotch said.

"Hotch, man, what's up?" Morgan asked worriedly as he sat up straight.

"It's Garcia; we may have just found her. I'll explain on the plane." Hotch answered and walked back to his office to get his bag.

It only took a second for realization to sink in and soon they were busy getting their bags ready. None of them said a word as they quickly got ready and left.

Once the plane took off the team crowded around Hotch who looked like he was a million miles away.

"Hotch, where's Garcia?" Morgan asked impatiently.

"Is she alright?" JJ asked.

"How do you know where she is?" Reid asked.

Hotch raised a hand to silence them as they all continued to ask questions and talk at the same time.

"I'm not sure where she is exactly." He said calmly. "Just before I came to get all of you I got a phone call from the FBI director." He said and looked around before continuing. "Apparently he and some others knew we're investigating her disappearance and he wants us to meet him in D.C... That's all he would say." He explained.

"I figured the jet would be faster than driving. Not to mention Morgan would probably run over any cars that got in front of him and would probably wind up putting himself in the hospital." Hotch added trying to ease the other agents' nerves.

"Are you sure that's all he said?" Morgan asked completely ignoring the last comment.

"Yes Morgan, I'm sure." Hotch said looking him straight in the eyes.

Morgan got up and sat down in the back. The others watched sadly as he stared out the window not even bothering to hide his worry. They glanced at each before silently spreading out. Reid held JJ's hand for support on the sofa while Emily sat across from them. The rest of the trip was made in silence as they all thought about their favorite tech and friend.

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Sorry it's so short. Review Please!!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, but if I did…

This chapter doesn't have much from the team, it's basically just Garcia's story.

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As soon as the jet landed the team made their way to the FBI field office. Morgan didn't say a word the whole time as they went up stairs. He could only think about his goddess and the fact that he hadn't seen or heard from her in eight months. He knew that if he didn't find her soon, he'd probably leave the FBI for good. He just couldn't do it without her.

The others were thinking similar thoughts. They couldn't believe it'd been seven months since they'd seen her. Since she'd left it took longer for cases to be solved and when they needed to talk, she wasn't there. They just didn't work as well without her there to help them and when she stopped e-mailing them things had gradually gotten worse. They hadn't realized just how much they needed her until she was gone.

When they got off the elevator at the fourth floor a man in a suite walked up to them.

"Agent Hotchner?" He asked.

"Yes." Hotch said as he stepped forward.

"Agent Hotchner, the director is waiting for you and your team. If you will all follow me please." The man said. Hotch nodded before following the man down the hall and to a conference room. The man knocked before opening the door and standing aside so the team could go in.

As they entered they looked around. In the middle of the room was a large table similar to the 'round table' back at Quantico, two men in suites stood by the window talking quietly, and a guard was standing by the door to their left. Once they were all in the man who led them there closed the door.

"Agent Hotchner." Greeted one of the men with slightly graying hair as he walked over to the team and shook Hotch's hand.

"Director Malloy." Hotch said in return as he shook the director's hand. "I'm sure you know the rest of my team." He said and nodded to the others.

"Yes of course." The director said with a slight smile as he shook the rest of the team's hands. "This is Director Leroy of Homeland Security." He added and motioned to the brown haired man standing next to him.

"Homeland Security?" Rossi asked.

"Yes. I apologize for cutting this short, but I have many things I have to do today, so if you don't mind I'd like to get started." Director Leroy said and led the slightly confused team over to the table.

Once they were all seated around the table Director Malloy waved the guard out so it was only the eight of them.

"We heard that you have been trying to locate Agent Garcia." Malloy began.

"Yes, she was transferred about seven months ago. At first she kept in touch, but we haven't heard from her for about three months now." Hotch explained.

"Do you know where she is?" Reid asked from next to a silent Morgan.

The two directors glanced at each other before answering.

"Yes Agent Reid, we do." Leroy answered.

"Where is she?" Morgan asked as he glared at the two men.

"And what does Homeland Security have to do with her disappearance?" Rossi asked.

"First of all she did not disappear." Malloy said. "We simply made sure no one knew where she was."

"Excuse me?" JJ said disbelievingly.

The FBI director sighed before looking around at the team. "I suppose we should start at the beginning."

"About seven and a half months ago, not long after Agent Morgan transferred to New York, a…matter of national security arouse." Malloy began. "I can't tell you much about the case, but basically that's why Director Leroy is here."

"The case was being dealt with by both the FBI and Homeland Security along with some help from the CIA." Leroy said.

"What does Garcia have to do with it?" JJ asked.

"I was getting to that." Leroy said. "We needed help from a tech, but not just any tech. We needed the best, and that's were Agent Garcia comes in."

"I asked her to help us and she agreed of course, but she couldn't tell anyone." Malloy added. "The case was classified and not pleasant to say the least. But Agent Garcia defiantly earned the title of 'best'." He said with a slight chuckle.

"Garcia was working on this and helping us at the same time?" Emily asked.

"Yes, though we offered to take her off all BAU cases, she is apparently very good at multitasking." Leroy answered. "Your team got a case only two days after Agent Garcia started helping us."

"Unfortunately about half way through your case something came up. The main person we were after found out about Miss Garcia and how she was helping us." Malloy continued. "This man was very good at what he does, very smart, and was very dangerous."

"Not to mention he had many supporters and contacts." Leroy added.

"We wanted to hide her right away, but she insisted on finishing your case." Malloy explained. "So we put her transfer in and as soon as your case was over we had her taken somewhere else."

"We didn't want anyone to know where she was because the man we were after might have had informants on the inside. So we simply made it look like she transferred. At first we weren't going to let her have any contact with you, but she insisted that if we didn't then you'd get worried and start investigating it."

"She was right. We would have." Reid stated.

"Well anyways, Miss Garcia was basically in witness protection." Malloy continued. "She was working with us on the case; we gave her a new name and also had 24 hour guards with her at a secured house." He said. "She really didn't like being cooped up all day in a room and being watched constantly." Malloy said with a slight smile making the others laugh too.

"We did our best to make sure none of you figured out where she was, though it was hard seeing as you apparently have many of your own contacts." Director Leroy added. "We got the man we were after about three and a half months ago, but he still had men out there along with his second in command, all of who wanted revenge against Agent Garcia. So we increased security. She was still helping us round up some people and finish up the case, but we just couldn't catch the second in command."

"We needed to capture him not only to get him off the streets, but also so he couldn't get to Agent Garcia. We needed bait and Miss Garcia volunteered."

"What?!" Morgan said about ready to explode.

"Agent Morgan please let us finish." Malloy said and held up a hand. Hotch gave Morgan a look before nodding for Malloy to continue. "We didn't approve, but after awhile we found it to be the only way. So she started working at a local police station using the false name. I assure you that we had the best security measures in place."

"We hoped that her working there would bring the person we were trying to capture out." Leroy said. "I believe that's about when she stopped e-mailing you. You see she was really working there along as with us so she was busy."

"The bait worked, but unfortunately it didn't work quite the way we wanted." Malloy said and sighed before continuing. "A little over a month later a distraction was set up to lure us away. When we got back to the police station Agent Garcia was gone, seven other agents were died, and two were seriously wounded."

There was an intake of breathe from the team as JJ grabbed Reid's hand and Morgan clenched his fists trying not to punch anyone.

"Agent Garcia basically saved herself though. We found her cell phone open outside the station. It was tracking her; apparently she had a devise hidden in her hair pen." Leroy stated. "We followed it and were able to capture the second in command along with some supporters, but unfortunately they had already begun getting their revenge on Garcia."

"Oh my God." JJ said and closed her eyes.

"Is…is she ok?" Reid asked worriedly.

The two directors looked at each other sadly before Leroy spoke. "She's in the hospital." He stated simply.

"We would have contacted you as soon as she entered the hospital since you're her emergency contacts, but we wanted to make sure that she was completely safe first." Malloy explained.

"Wait, that means she's been in the hospital for over a month." Emily stated angrily. "Almost two months."

"We understand you're upset, but we had to make sure everything was clear." Malloy said. "You probably don't want to listen to us anymore so we'll have someone take you to the hospital she's at." He said and stood up.

"Wait." Morgan said as he and the others stood as well. "You didn't answer the question. Is she alright?"

"Her doctor can tell you more, but basically…" Malloy began and sighed sadly. "She's in a coma."

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So what did you think?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I promise I don't own Criminal Minds.

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The drive to the hospital was mostly silent as the team let the information sink in. Morgan was so lost in thought and guilt that he didn't even realize the SUV had stopped until Reid tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to his right and saw Reid getting out of the car. Before he could react his own car door was being opened by the cop who had driven them. So he got out and met the others on the other side. They barely even glanced at each other before automatically going towards the door.

If someone had looked at them all at that moment they probably would have thought that they were going to a funeral. They looked depressed, miserable, and, in some cases, on the verge of tears. Reid had his hands in his pockets and was starring straight forward, JJ was next to him looking deep in thought, and Emily was simply walking with her head tilted down slightly with Rossi to her left and Hotch on her right, both of whom were trying not show emotion. Then there was Morgan. He was walking by himself behind the others trying to calm his nerves, but he still looked the saddest of all.

Together they made their way to the front desk were Hotch showed his badge before asking for Garcia's room number.

"Ah, yes, Agent Hotchner. Director Malloy said you'd be by soon." An elderly looking nurse said. "Were you friends of Miss Garcia?" She asked as she came around the counter.

"More like family." JJ answered sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear." The nurse replied. "You do know that she's…"

"Yes." Morgan answered not wanting to hear the word coma again.

Hotch shot him a look that clearly sad 'be nice' before turning back to the nurse. "Could we speak with her doctor?" He asked.

"Yes, of course, I'll have him paged right after I show you to Miss Garcia's room." She answered with a warm smile.

"Thank you." Hotch replied before following her up stairs to Garcia's room.

"She was just moved to this room about four days ago. Before that she was in a special secured room, but it didn't have any windows or chairs, so when Director Malloy cleared everything we moved her to this one." The nurse explained as they approached Garcia's room.

They stopped in front the door and Hotch showed his badge to the guard standing beside it. Once the guard nodded and moved aside the elderly nurse opened the door and let the team file in. Morgan was the first inside and didn't even stop before heading straight to Penelope's side. He reached out to take her hand, but hesitated and let his hand drop back when he saw her hand was wrapped. The others entered the room after him and saw Derek standing over the bed. They walked in more so that they could see around him and stopped. No one said a word as they watched Penelope.

They watched her chest rise up and down slightly thanks to the machines keeping her alive. Tubes were running everywhere, including one in her mouth that went down her throat. She was pale which made the bruises down her arms and on her face stand out more. They also noticed that she looked slightly thinner then the last time they saw her and her right hand was wrapped up. She had a bandage around her head, her left eye also had a bandage covering it, and her right shoulder was padded. She was lying so still they wouldn't have even known she was alive if it weren't for the rhythmic beeping in the background.

At that point the weight of the situation sank in. Reid moved to her side with worry etched on his face, followed by JJ who didn't even bother to stop the tears falling down her face. Hotch and Rossi moved to Morgan's side who was starring down at Garcia. Emily was frozen. She wanted to go to Penelope's side and tell her everything would be ok, just like Penelope had done for her on countless occasions, but her feet wouldn't move. So she stood at the foot of the bed as a tear escaped.

Hotch was worried not only for Garcia, but also for Morgan. He was standing completely still and staring blankly down at Garcia. Hotch knew what this was probably doing to him. He just hoped that Garcia would wake up before it was too late.

They didn't know how long they stood there quietly before there was a knock on the door and a man came in. The man was in his forties, had dark brown hair, and small glasses. As he came in Hotch, Rossi, and Prentiss turned toward him as JJ and Reid walked around to the other side of the bed, but Morgan didn't move an inch.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Clarkson." The man said with a kind smile and held out his hand.

"Agent Hotchner." Hotch said as he shook the man's hand. "This is my team; agents Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, and Jareau."

"Is Ms. Garcia a friend of yours?" Dr. Clarkson asked.

"Yes, but she's also another member of our team." Emily answered.

"Oh, I see. Well, I was actually hoping you were family so you could sign some things." He said and looked down at a chart in his hands.

"She doesn't really have any family except us." JJ stated.

"I'm on her next-of-kin list." Morgan said sadly as he turned around to face the doctor.

"I believe we're all on it actually." Reid added.

"Let's see…" The doctor said as he flipped through some papers. "Ah yes, you are." He said with a smile. "Well, in that case if one of you could sign some paper work when you get a chance that would be helpful."

"Doctor, about Garcia…"Rossi began.

"Yes, I suppose you'll want to know the facts." He said sadly with a sigh. "Well, she's been here for about two months now." He began.

"I realize Miss Garcia doesn't look too good, but believe me when I say that she looked much worse when she first got here. She had a gun shot wound in her knee, two stab wounds, several lacerations, some were just scratches and some were quite deep, and bruises were begging to appear all over. Her left ankle was broken, her right shoulder dislocated, and every bone in her right hand was broken. Unfortunately we haven't been able to put a cast on her hand due to an infection from a cut, but we should be able to by tomorrow." He said. "Also she had a concussion and her skull was severely cracked. The damage to her head along with loss of blood is what caused her to fall into a coma." The doctor explained. "Most of her injuries have healed, though her ankle, hand, and shoulder are still in the process of healing, her head is still damaged, she still has some cuts, and of course bruising, though a month ago you couldn't even see her face because of the number on bruises and swelling."

"What about her eye?" Reid asked.

"I'm not sure what caused it, but when she got here her left eye was bleeding profusely and extremely swollen. We cleaned it up and bandaged it, but we've been more concerned with her head trauma and other injuries."

"Has she been in a coma the whole time?" Morgan asked.

"Yes, she was awake when she arrived or at least somewhat awake, but she crashed about four hours after getting out of surgery and fell into a coma. I am sorry; it's obvious you all care very much for Ms. Garcia."

"Is there any chance she might wake up?" JJ asked quietly.

"It's not very likely for someone who's been in a coma as long as she has to wake up. Her brain activity is almost nonexistent and the only reason she's even alive right now is because of the machines working for her." He explained. "If relatives didn't show up soon we were actually going to pull the plug." He added apologetically.

"What!?" Morgan said walking forward, but Hotch and Rossi stopped him. "You got to be kidding me?"

"I'm sorry agent Morgan, but it's been almost two months with no change. Now that you're here it's up to you, but it's not doing her any good." The Dr. Clarkson said before nodded to the others and leaving.

"Calm down Morgan." Hotch said after the doctor left.

"But he…" Morgan started.

"I know, but it's his job." Hotch said and gave him a look that said to let it go.

Morgan didn't say anything; he just looked around at the others before pulling up a chair next to Garcia and sitting down completely ignoring everyone in the room.

The others glanced at each other before Hotch rubbed his eyes and spoke.

"I'm going to talk to the director and see if we can get her transferred back home." Hotch said.

"I'll talk to her doctors and make sure she can be moved." JJ said as she looked at Garcia one more time before heading out.

As the others got comfortable in chairs Hotch walked up to Rossi. "Keep an eye on Morgan." He whispered. Once Rossi nodded slightly Hotch pulled out his cell phone and left the room.

Morgan brushed a strand of hair out of Garcia's face before gently laying his hand on her arm. He didn't want to hurt her, but he just had to touch her so he'd know she was still with him. This wasn't how he'd wanted to see her after eight months. He wanted to hold her in his arms, tell her how much he loved her, and never let her go. It was killing him to think that he might never be able to do that now. While he was in New York something was missing. When he'd got back to Quantico and found Penelope gone his heart had broke, but now it was shattered and the only thing that could make it better would be to look into Penelope's eyes and see her smile at him like she used to.

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What do you think? Review Please!!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: As you all know I don't own Criminal Minds.

A special thanks to pinkXXpunkXXprincess for letting me borrow one of her ideas! And thanks to everyone for reviewing!

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Five days later Garcia was in a private room at a hospital in Virginia with Morgan sitting by her bed. She had been transferred three days ago on Director Leroy's private jet which he had loaned to the hospital so the transport would be easier and safer. Morgan had flown with Garcia and then went straight to the hospital with her. He hadn't left her side in five days and even though they tried the team couldn't get him to go for even an hour. So Reid had got his keys and brought him some clothes.

Morgan knew he couldn't stay in Garcia's room forever, but he just couldn't leave her. Anytime he had gotten up to go to the bathroom or go down to the cafeteria he had felt bad for leaving her and rushed back. He knew that if it was him in a coma, Garcia wouldn't leave him for a minute. She needed him just as much as he needed her and he wasn't about to abandon her again.

Just then JJ, Hotch, and Rossi came into the room. Morgan looked up at them before looking back at Garcia. Hotch and Rossi exchanged worried looks and then took their seats against the wall.

"We're here Morgan; you can go get something to eat." JJ said as she walked over to him. They knew he wouldn't go unless someone was there to sit with Garcia and keep her company so they would go eat and when they got back Morgan would go.

"Where's Reid and Emily?" Morgan asked as he looked around at them.

"Don't know. They left right after we ate. They said they had an idea and that they'd be back in a bit." JJ answered with a shrug.

"Morgan go get something to eat and don't worry, we'll watch Garcia." Hotch said.

Morgan got up and stretched before leaning over and kissing Garcia on the head. "I'll be back in a few minutes, ok baby girl." He whispered in her ear. He then stood back up and looked at her for a second before turning to leave.

Once he was gone JJ sat in his vacated chair and looked sadly down at her friend.

"We're not going to be able to do this forever." Rossi said to Hotch.

"I know, but no one's going to be able to focus on a case right and the director said we could take as much time as we needed, besides after what we just found out we defiantly need some time." Hotch answered. He sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly. "Things aren't going to be the same without her." He added sadly as he watched JJ talk quietly to Garcia. Since she'd been moved each of them, including Hotch, had started talking to her. At first it had been words of encouragement, but now they just said whatever was on their minds.

A couple of minutes later Emily and Reid walked into the room each carrying a small box and smiling.

"What's all this?" Hotch asked suspiciously as he and the others gathered around where Reid and Emily were sitting down the boxes on the table at the foot of Garcia's bed.

"We made a little detour." Emily answered with a smile. Hotch, JJ, and Rossi looked in the boxes and smiled for the first time in days.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started." JJ said happily.

About a half hour later Morgan was on his way back to Garcia's room with a cup of coffee. For the last few days he had been trying to decide what to do. Should he stay in the BAU or leave the FBI for good? He just didn't think he could do his job as well without his baby girl. Sure, he'd managed to work while she was missing, but the whole time he was working to find her. It had been his goal and purpose, but now he'd found her and wanted to stay with her.

Morgan sighed and pushed the door to Penelope's room open, but when he saw the scene in front of him he stopped in his tracks and his mouth hung open slightly. The room had been decorated with all sorts of stuffed animals, pictures, and other colorful things that Morgan recognized from Garcia's office.

"So what do you think?" JJ asked.

It was then that Morgan noticed the rest of the team watching him. He closed the door and stepped the rest of the way in to get a better look. "It's great." He answered with a slight smile as he looked around.

The window had a long purple clothe draped around it and strings of pink beads hung in front of it. The walls were decorated with photos of the team and pictures of puppies, cats, baby pandas, and other colorful pictures. There were stuffed animals and dolls arranged on the bed side tables and on the window seal. Flowers had been scattered around the room, mostly in corners except for a sunflower on top the TV near the ceiling. It was then that Morgan looked at Garcia. There wasn't much difference there, except the red and blue blanket laid neatly across her. He recognized it immediately as the one she always kept in her office for those long nights. She had told him once that it was her favorite.

"Wait a minute; I thought all her office stuff was packed up somewhere when she left." Morgan asked after looking around.

"It is, but yesterday while we were at lunch the director gave us the key to the storage unit her stuff is being kept in. So Emily and I went by there and got some things." Reid answered.

"We thought that it might make her feel more at home." Emily added as Morgan walked around the room.

"Technically she wouldn't be able to feel…" Reid began but immediately stopped when the others gave him a death glare. It didn't matter though because Morgan wasn't listening, instead he was lost in memories. He came to a stop beside Penelope's bed and leaned down to kiss her cheek completely oblivious to the others in the room. He reached out to take her hand, but pulled back suddenly when he saw her finger twitch. He looked at her face, then at the monitors, but there was no other change. He quickly looked up at the others expectantly, but only saw their confused looks.

"Did you see that?" He asked excitedly.

"See what?" Rossi asked.

"Her finger, it moved." He said pointing to her hand.

"Morgan, she's in a coma…" Hotch began sadly.

"I'm telling you her finger moved." Morgan said almost yelling. "Go get the doctor." He said before taking her hand in his and sitting in the chair next to her.

Hotch nodded to Emily who quietly left the room.

A minute later Emily came back with a nurse who went over to one of the machines hooked up to Garcia. Morgan looked up at her expectantly as she examined the different screens and charts.

"I'm sorry, but there is no evidence of any change." She said apologetically.

"I know what I saw." Morgan said angrily.

"Her heart beat is the same as it has been and there is almost no brain activity." The nurse replied sadly. "I'm sorry." She said again before leaving the room.

"Morgan, why don't you go home and get some sleep." Hotch said after she was gone.

"No." Morgan answered simply as he stared at Garcia.

"Morgan you haven't been home in days, you're tired. As much as I wish Garcia would wake up, the doctors say that she's not going to. You heard the nurse she said there's barely any brain activity anymore." JJ said sympathetically with tears in her eyes. "We all want her to wake up and be ok, but Morgan, the chances of that…" JJ said and trailed off as tears ran down her cheeks. She closed her eyes before sitting in a chair and burying her face in her hands.

"Morgan go home, you can come back tomorrow." Hotch said quietly.

"Hotch…" Morgan began.

"I wasn't asking." He said seriously.

Morgan sighed before looking at Garcia. Maybe they were right, maybe he did just see what he wanted to see. He stood up and with one more look around left the room.

Several hours later Morgan was making his way back to Garcia's room. It was two forty-five in the morning, so technically it was tomorrow. He had gone home and tried to sleep, but he just couldn't. So he had tried to read, but after about an hour he realized that he was still on the same page and had no idea what he had read. Then he cleaned his house in hopes of passing the time and taking his mind off of Penelope. Of course it didn't work, so he went ahead and had dinner. When he went to bed he found himself restless, so went for a run, took Clooney out, and got in the shower. He had laid in bed for a couple of hours unable to go to sleep until finally he gave up, got dressed, and drove to the hospital.

Now here he was making his way to Garcia's room. He nodded at the night guard as he passed the nurses desk and quietly opened the door to Penelope's room. Hopefully the others wouldn't be there, that way he could say he just got here before them. He pushed opened the door, went in the dark room, and quietly closed the door behind him. It was dark but thinks to the lights on the many machines he could still somewhat see. He looked around and saw JJ and Reid in chairs against the wall near the foot of Garcia's bed. He walked closer to see if they were asleep and sure enough they were. So he walked over to his chair and sat down next to his girl.

As he watched her pale features the last few days began to catch up with him. He felt his eyelids getting heavier. So he pulled the chair as close as possible and laid his head next to her shoulder while he gently placed one arm around her waist and put his other hand on her head. He was fast asleep in a second. No one saw the line on one of the monitors jump, or saw Penelope's eye twitch, or heard the slight moan that escaped her lips.

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So, what do you think?


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know this, but I don't own Criminal Minds.

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As Morgan gradually began to wake up he opened his eyes only to close them when blinding light flooded his vision. He sighed before sitting up and opening his eyes again. He rubbed his face and neck trying to wake up more and looked around. JJ and Reid were gone and there was a blanket thrown over his shoulders. It was then that he glanced at the clock and noticed it was 11:45 in the morning. 'Did I really sleep that long?' He asked himself. He hadn't slept in that late in months, eight months to be exact. This meant that Reid and JJ knew he came in early this morning and that Hotch probably knows too. He found he really didn't care though.

He looked down at Penelope and smiled slightly. The light from the window was shinning around her and even with the fading bruises and bandages on her face it still made her look like an angel. He lightly touched the golden blonde curls spread out over the pillow and found himself amazed at just how soft they were. He looked up for a minute and saw a piece of paper on the bed side table. It had his name on it so he picked it up read:

_Morgan,_

_We've gone to lunch. Should be back soon. Just so you know, Hotch didn't look too pleased about you sleeping here last night. JJ_

He put the note back down and sighed before rubbing his face with his hands. He didn't care if Hotch was mad. All he cared about was his goddess. He leaned down and propped his arms on his knees.

"I love you Penelope." He told her. "And I need you so much. I don't know what I'll do if you don't wake up princess. Since I left I feel…empty, like there's something missing. At first I couldn't figure out what it was, but then I realized it was you. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me and I'm sorry I left in the first place." Morgan said. He sighed and looked down at his hands before standing up and walking over to the window to look out.

Just then he heard a slight moan. It was so faint he wasn't even sure he'd heard it. Morgan spun around, but Garcia hadn't moved. He began to walk back to her side when her head turned to the side.

'I knew it! I knew I hadn't imagined her moving yesterday.' He thought to himself before rushing the rest of the way over to Penelope. The eye that wasn't bandaged was still closed but he could see it moving under her eyelid, as if she was fighting to wake up. He put one hand on the top of her head and the other one on her cheek.

"Come on Penelope. Wake up. Please baby girl wake up." He said trying to encourage her. "You have to wake up baby."

"Morgan." Said Hotch's stern voice from behind him. Morgan didn't even acknowledge him; instead he kept stroking Garcia's cheek and whispering to her.

"Morgan?" Reid asked as he and the others started walking further into the room and stopped at the foot of the bed. Reid was about to say something else when Garcia turned her head away from Morgan and moaned slightly.

"Oh my God!" Emily exclaimed looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

"She's trying to wake up." Reid stated disbelievingly.

"Come on baby girl you can do it." Morgan said still ignoring the others.

The team watched as she turned her head again and her eye began to flutter open slowly. "That's my girl, you're almost there." Morgan said grinning happily. She opened her eye slightly, but immediately shut it and looked away. Just then a couple of nurses came in.

"What's going on? Ms. Garcia's heart rate just jumped." The older one asked.

The team didn't say a word, they just moved so the two nurses could see Garcia.

"Dim the lights." One of the nurses ordered when she saw Garcia.

Once the lights were turned down and the blinds closed Penelope slowly began to open her eye again, but before they could do anything else she started coughing as if the tube down her throat were choking her.

"Penelope?" Morgan said worriedly as she continued to struggle. Rossi grabbed his arm and pulled him back as more nurses and the doctor came in. The next thing he knew the door was being closed in his face.

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What do you think?


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: You guys are probably getting tired of hearing this, but I don't own Criminal Minds.

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Garcia's door was opened and closed so many times during the next half hour Morgan lost count. While they waited Morgan stood as close to the door as possible and leaned against the wall. JJ had her arms crossed and was standing close by with Reid who had his hands in his pockets. Emily simply walked back and forth nervously while Hotch and Rossi talked quietly further away from the group.

After half an hour Garcia's doctor came out of the room followed by a nurse. The team immediately straightened up and walked closer as the doctor talked to the nurse. Once the nurse left the doctor turned to face the team.

Seeing their anxious faces staring at him hopefully, Dr. Micksney couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Well, I don't know how, but Ms. Garcia is awake." He said happily.

At that there was a collective sigh of relief and smiles spread across all of their faces.

"It really is amazing. She was in a come for about two months, had no brain activity, and was being kept alive by machines and yet she's awake and basically breathing on her own." The doctor added.

"So she's going to be ok?" JJ asked excitedly.

"I don't see why not."

"What about her head? She had a bad head trauma so did it cause any problems?" Rossi asked.

"We checked and she doesn't appear to have any brain damage. At first she couldn't remember anything, not even her name, but after a few minutes her memories started to come back. She is still a bit fuzzy on some things and a little disoriented, but it should pass in a few days." He answered.

"Oh and one more thing; I checked her eye and it seems to be healing, but I believe it would be best to perform surgery on it so she doesn't go blind in that eye. We'll probably wait about three days or so before we do that. In the mean time the bandage will be removed tomorrow." Dr. Micksney added.

"Can we see her now?" Emily asked.

"Yes of course, but she'll probably be in and out of it for a while and remember, she may be a bit confused until her head clears."

"Thank you." Hotch said.

"No problem at all." He answered with a smile before walking away.

Morgan, who had been silent the whole time, was the first to make it to the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door quietly. He stepped through the door and the first thing he noticed was the lack of tubes and machines. He looked up and his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw Penelope watching them. He rushed over, with the others just behind, and looked down at her.

She was still slightly pale and her lips had a blue tint, but she no longer had a tube down her throat. Morgan looked into her undamaged eye and relaxed for the first time in over a week.

"Derek?" Garcia asked in a soft voice sounding confused.

"Yeah baby girl, it's me." He said still smiling. He gently wrapped her hand in his and squeezed lightly. She smiled tiredly back at him before turning her head slowly to see the others. JJ was next to Morgan, then came Emily and Rossi at the foot of the bed, and Reid and Hotch on her left.

The team watched as she looked around at them obviously confused.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked in a soft raspy voice.

"Visiting you." Rossi answered with a smile.

"How'd you know I was here in D.C. and… what's all my stuff doing here?" She asked.

"First of all you're not in D.C.." Hotch answered. "You're in Virginia."

"What?"

"We'll explain later baby girl, when you're not so tired." Morgan said as he stroked her cheek lightly.

Garcia looked up at him as her eye began to close and within seconds she was sound asleep.

"I almost don't believe it." Emily said quietly as they continued to stand and watch Garcia sleep peacefully. "Guess I shouldn't be surprise though, this is Garcia after all." She said and laughed softly.

Garcia was in and out of it all day just like Dr. Micksney had said she would. She was never awake for more than ten minutes and always seemed dazed and disoriented. But the team was always there and smiling when she woke up.

Hotch didn't even bother to tell anyone to go home and sleep as night came. He knew they all wanted to be there when she woke up again and so they all fell asleep in Garcia's room with smiles still on their faces.

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Well, how'd you like it?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I promise I don't own Criminal Minds!

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As Morgan gradually began to wake up he felt a feather light touch on his head. With his eyes still closed he tried to figure out what it could be. It was soft, gentle and comforting all at the same time and for some reason felt vaguely familiar. With each stroke of the unknown object his worries seemed to disappear as if the last few months had never even happened. He felt more relaxed and peaceful then he had since….

That's when it hit him. He remembered the others going to sleep one by one before he laid his head on the bed next to Penelope and fell asleep too. So then it must be…

"Penelope!" He said as his eyes popped open and he sat up quickly. Sure enough there was his baby girl watching him with a slight smile.

"Hey there stud muffin." Penelope replied softly. Suddenly she stopped smiling and looked at him as if trying to figure out a puzzle. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in New York?" She asked.

"Baby girl I've missed you so much." Morgan stated as he took her hand in his and looked into her warm brown eye. "I was stupid and I'm so sorry. I should never have left, but by the time I figured it out you were gone."

"Figured what out?" She asked still slightly confused.

"Penelope, I…" He began, but before he could get the words out the others started to wake up.

"Pen?" JJ asked from Garcia's right.

Garcia smiled at her friend, but was still so surprised at Morgan she couldn't say anything. JJ jumped up and gently hugged Garcia causing her to flinch slightly from the pressure on her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"Relax JJ, I'm fine sweetie." Garcia said with a smile.

By that time the others were awake as well and all gathered around her bed.

"So you remember now?" Emily asked anxiously.

"Mostly, though I still don't know how I got here or how you guys knew…" Garcia answered, but before she could finish there was a knock on the door. A second later the door was opened to reveal Directors Malloy and Leroy.

"Hello Garcia. How are you?" Director Malloy asked with a smile as the two men walked up to the group. "I must say, It's good to see you awake." He added.

"We came as soon as we heard you woke up from the coma." Leroy explained.

"Agent Hotchner, I know you and your team are anxious to talk with Agent Garcia, but Leroy and I really need to talk with her first so if you could step out of the room for a few minutes." Malloy said still smiling.

"Of course." Hotch said before turning back to Garcia. "We'll be right outside." He told her before heading out. The others smiled reassuringly at her before following, all except Morgan who squeezed her hand and leaned down to kiss her head. He smiled lovingly at her before reluctantly walking out of the room.

Malloy smiled at the two with a knowing look while Leroy raised his eyebrow and tried to hide his own smile.

Morgan and the others waited just outside Garcia's door the whole time. After about thirty minutes Doctor Micksney knocked and entered the room also. A few minutes later the two directors came out of Garcia's room and closed the door behind them. When they saw the team standing there watching them they walked over.

"We explained everything to Garcia, so she knows all about how she got back to Virginia and how you all know about what happened." Leroy stated.

"She also knows about Agent Morgan's transfer back to the BAU." Malloy said with a knowing look towards Morgan.

"We'll probably have to speak with her again, but for now that's all." Director Leroy said. "The doctor is in there with her now removing her eye bandage, so you should probably wait until he's done." He added before nodding to Hotch and leaving.

Thinking that Director Malloy would be leaving too the team started talking to each other happily and completely forgetting about the director.

"Agent Morgan may I have a work with you?" Malloy asked quietly so he wouldn't get the others' attentions.

Morgan nodded before following the FBI director down the hall a little ways, just far enough so the others couldn't hear.

"Believe it or not Agent Morgan I am not stupid." Malloy said with a smile. "In the past eight months it has become quite obvious to me that Agent Garcia is in love with a certain FBI field agent. Now whether the agent knows this or not I don't know. I'm not even sure Garcia knows she's in love." He said with a slight laugh. "But from what I've observed I'm fairly certain said field agent is just as much in love with her. In fact I'm almost positive."

"Director…" Morgan began, but was cut off when Malloy raised his hand to silence him.

"Please agent Morgan let me finish." Malloy said. "Agent Garcia is very important to the FBI, especially after this last 'project'. Also a lot of people are in her debt. So you see if Agent Garcia and this other agent were to act on their feelings, then the FBI would just have to turn a blind eye on the situation. Do you understand what I'm saying Agent Morgan?"

"Yes sir." Morgan said with a smile.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me I have a few things to take care of back at Quantico." Malloy said before starting to walk away.

"Director." Morgan said before he got to far away. "Thank you."

"Garcia is a very unique person Agent Morgan." The director said with a slight nod.

"Yes she is." Morgan replied with a smile as he watched the director leave.

Once the director was gone Morgan walked back over to the still talking team.

"What was that about?" Reid asked quietly so the others wouldn't hear.

Before Morgan could say anything though, Garcia's door opened and Dr. Micksney stepped out.

"I figured you all would be out here." He said as he approached the team. "I removed the bandage from Ms. Garcia's eye and before you ask, I've already scheduled her surgery for tomorrow. It appears her optic nerve may have been damaged so she can't really see out of that eye." He said and continued when he saw the team's worried looks. "The surgery should be able to repair the damage though and she'll be able to see." He added with a smile before walking toward the nurse's desk.

Morgan and the others silently walked back into Garcia's room and saw her looking out the window. They couldn't see her face, but they could tell she was lost in thought and a million miles away.

Morgan walked up to her and gently laid his hand on her arm to get her attention, but it didn't work.

"Penelope?" He said softly so that he wouldn't surprise her as he stroked her cheek lightly. Slowly she turned her head toward them and smiled. Her left eye was puffy and red. A dark ring encircled it and when she blinked Morgan noticed that her eyelid looked as if it'd been burnt.

"How's your eye?" JJ asked worriedly.

"It's fine sweetie." Garcia answered with a shrug and a smile.

"Good. Now how is it really?" Rossi asked with a knowing look.

Garcia rolled her eyes but answered anyways. "It's just a little sore and things are a kind of blurry." She said.

"Is there anything you need?" Emily asked.

"Nope, I'm fine." She answered. "I like the décor around here." She said trying to change the subject. "It's not very hospital like, which is good. Though I could swear that's my purple tiger over there." She added with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Well we thought you might be a bit more comfortable if you had some of your stuff." Emily stated.

"Thanks guys." She said laughing, which made Morgan grin like he hadn't done in months. To him it was the best sound in the world and he never wanted it stop.

Garcia looked over at him and smiled before looking back at the others. "You know I mean it right? Thank you for everything. I knew you guys would look for me, but I figured you'd probably stop after the first few months since I was e-mailing you." She said seriously with a look as if she was thinking about something.

"You'd do the same for us." Morgan said simply and laid his hand on her arm. She looked back at him and smiled slightly as he stared into her eyes.

"It just wasn't the same without you." JJ said happily. "It'll be so great when you come back to the BAU."

At that Garcia turned her head in surprise and looked at JJ. "What?" She asked.

"You're coming back to the BAU as soon as the doctor clears you." Hotch said.

"But they transferred…"

"You are a member of my team and will continue to be so." Hotch said sternly, but a small smile played at lips.

"Thanks Hotch." Garcia said as tears began to form in her eyes, but she pushed them away.

The team spent the next few hours telling Garcia about what she'd missed while she'd been gone. They told her about a few of the cases and how much harder it was to solve them without her. How stupid the replacements had been. About how a witness had hit on Reid and anything and everything that had happened while she'd been away.

Morgan laughed and added something once in awhile, but basically just sat next to Garcia with his hand still on her arm and periodically staring at her when no one was watching. He wanted to tell her about everything. About how much he missed her, why he came back, and that he was head over heals in love with her. But it would have to wait just a little bit longer until they were alone. Until then he'd just enjoy the fact she was back with him and make sure that her smile was embedded in his memory forever.

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Review Please!!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, though it would be nice.

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The next day the team was sitting around Garcia's bed talking when someone knocked on the door.

"Hello Penelope." Dr. Micksney said as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. "It's just about time to get you prepped for surgery." He said with a comforting smile before turning to the others. "It'll take a couple of hours and they'd like to get started as soon as possible so if the rest of you could leave while we get her ready it would be most appreciated." The doctor said.

"We'll be right here waiting for you when you get out Garcia." JJ said reassuringly as she hugged her friend.

"Everything will be fine." Hotch added with his hand on her uninjured shoulder.

"No worries." Emily whispered as she too hugged Garcia. The two laughed at the expression. It was the same thing Garcia would always tell her when she was stressed or nervous.

Reid walked up to Garcia and was immediately pulled into a hug. Rossi was last as he too smiled reassuringly and patted her arm.

"Dr., do you mind if I stay for a minute?" Morgan asked from his spot next to Garcia as the others left.

Dr. Micksney looked at him and saw the determination written on his face and then at Garcia who was obviously nervous. "Alright you can stay for a minute while I go tell the nurses that Miss Garcia is ready." He said nodding before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"You nervous baby girl?" Morgan asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind Garcia's ear.

"Is it that obvious?" Garcia asked with a small smile.

"Anyone would be nervous in your situation." Morgan answered. "Everything will be fine." He said and leaned down to kiss her on the head.

"But, what if I can't see when they're done? What if something happens and I'm blind?" She asked.

Morgan sat on the side of the bed and turned toward her as he took her hand in his.

"Penelope, everything will be ok and if by some random chance you do loose your sight then we'll work through it. The team and I will always be here for you no matter what. I'm never going to leave you again, I promise."

"Thank you." Garcia said softly as a couple of tears escaped her eyes. "I've missed you guys so much." She said and looked down as she wiped away another tear.

Morgan lifted her chin up with his finger and used his other hand to wipe away the tears. "I love you Penelope." He said. "I tried to tell you earlier when you woke up, but we got interrupted and…"

"I know sugar I love you too." Garcia said with a smile.

Morgan sighed and took her hand again before looking her in the eyes. "I'm in love with you. I have been for awhile, but it just didn't dawn on me until I took that job and you weren't with me. I missed you so much it hurt and there was just something missing. I came back so I could be with you princess. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you. Do you believe me?" He asked.

Garcia was still silently crying as she looked into his love filled eyes. "Yes." She answered softly. "I love you too. I always have hot stuff."

Morgan smiled broadly before putting his hand behind her head and leaning forward. They were inches apart when there was a knock on the door and they jumped apart in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but it's been over a minute and we really need to get going." Dr. Micksney said and blushed slightly when he realized what was going on.

Morgan reluctantly stood up then leaned back down and gently kissing Garcia. It was feather light and only lasted a second, but it was like nothing he'd ever felt before.

"I'll be right here when you wake up princess." He whispered before standing back up.

"The surgical waiting room is just down the hall by the elevators. I believe the others went there to get some coffee." The doctor said with a smile and moved aside as a couple of nurses came in.

Morgan looked back, smiled and winked at Penelope before leaving the room and making his way to the waiting area.

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So how'd you like it? Review Please!!!!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Ok, I know you all are getting tired of hearing this, but I don't own Criminal Minds.

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"Reid how long has it been now?" Morgan asked impatiently.

"Two hours, sixteen minutes and thirty five seconds." Reid answered without even looking up from the magazine he was reading.

"In other words, five minutes since the last time you asked." Emily said obviously annoyed.

"Seven and a half minutes actually." Reid said nonchalantly as he turned a page.

"Whatever." Emily replied with an aggravated sigh before moving to sit next to JJ by the window.

"Any news yet?" Rossi asked as he and Hotch came in with fresh cups of coffee.

"No." Answered Morgan, JJ, Reid, and Emily in unison.

Ten minutes later JJ, Emily, and Hotch were sitting by the window quietly while Rossi sat opposite Reid who was on his tenth magazine and Morgan stood by the door waiting impatiently.

"Hey Reid…" Morgan began, but was interrupted by a very irritated Emily.

"Morgan I swear, if you ask how long it's been one more time I'm going to…"

"Excuse me." Said a smiling red haired woman with small glasses and a lab coat. "Are any of you here for a Ms. Penelope Garcia?" She asked making them all jump up and hurry over.

"All of us actually." JJ said with a smile as she approached.

"I'm Dr. Kersey, the resident eye surgeon who operated on Ms. Garcia." She said.

"How'd it go?" Emily asked anxiously.

"As far as we can tell it went quite well, though we want know for sure until we remove the bandage. I believe her eye will be just fine. It will be sensitive to light for awhile and so she'll need to wear sunglasses and keep inside lights dim. Also I'll be prescribing some eye drops that she'll need to use at least twice a day." Dr. Kersey said.

"When will the bandage be taken off?" Hotch asked.

"Not for a couple of weeks. We don't want her eye to get infected." She answered with a smile. "Also I spoke with Dr. Micksney and he says that Ms. Garcia will be able to go home tomorrow as long as she has someone to keep an eye on her for a few days so that she doesn't do any lifting or a lot of walking." She informed them happily. "Now if she doesn't have anyone to help then we can have a home health nurse drop by to check on her once in awhile."

"That won't be necessary." Morgan said. "She'll be staying with me."

"Good. Then I'll give you her prescriptions and you'll need to bring her back so we can check her eye in about a week." The doctor said. "She's probably back in her room by now so you're free to go see her when you like."

"Thank you." Reid said before he and the others headed for Garcia's room.

When they went in they saw Garcia lying in bed with a white bandage over her left eye. As they walked over to her they watched as her good eye fluttered open slowly and her head turn to look at them. "There's my superheroes." She said tiredly as a small smile lit up her face.

"Told you we'd be here when you got back" JJ said as she held her friends hand.

"How are you feeling?" Hotch asked from the foot of the bed.

"Tired." She answered as she fought to stay awake.

"That's because..." Reid began, but stopped at the look he was getting from Emily. "Never mind." He said and blushed slightly at the chuckles he got from the others.

"You just rest princess." Morgan said happily as he pulled the blankets up closer to her shoulders.

"Ok." She answered softly as her eye drifted shut.

--------------------------------------------------

"Please Garcia just get in the wheel chair." Emily said with a sigh.

"I don't need a wheel chair I can use my crutches." Garcia answered as she sat on the side of the bed.

"Baby girl, you're wearing a sling, how are you going to use crutches? Besides the doctor said you're supposed to stay off your feet." Morgan told her.

"Guys, come on, I don't need…"

"Just use the wheelchair Garcia." Hotch said as he came in the room.

Garcia just sighed and started muttering under her breath as she began to slide off the bed. As she did Morgan and Rossi, who had been standing by the window amused as he watched the agents argue, came to her side and helped her. Rossi held her uninjured arm and hand while Morgan had one arm around her waist and his other hand on her hip.

"I swear you people are the most overprotective…" Garcia said quietly as she sat down in the wheelchair.

"No, if we were overprotective then we would assign a twenty four hour body guard to you." JJ said with a smirk.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Morgan added with a contemplative look.

"Don't even think about." Garcia warned.

"I don't know Garcia; it is a pretty good idea. That way you wouldn't be able to disappear on us again." Emily said.

"No, she'd loose a body guard in like ten minutes if she wanted to." Reid stated. "But we could implant a tracking device in her neck or something." He added with a smile making Garcia sigh and roll her eye and the others laugh.

"Alright come on baby girl, let's get you home." Morgan said with a chuckle.

"Finally, thank you." Garcia said exuberantly.

Garcia was smiling and laughing so much she didn't even realize were they were driving to until Morgan parked the SUV.

"Hot stuff, I know I've been gone awhile, but I'm pretty sure this isn't my apartment." Garcia said from the back seat as the others started to get out.

Morgan just grinned and got out of the car as Hotch opened her door and held out his hand to help her.

"The doctor said that someone should be around to keep an eye on you and knowing you, you'd probably be up walking around if no was there to stop you." Emily said with a knowing smile.

"Oh come on guys, I don't need a baby sitter." She said.

"Hey, I'm not a baby sitter." Morgan said playfully as he and JJ came around the car with her crutches and overnight bags. "Now come on, Rossi volunteered to make pancakes." He added with a smile.

"No I didn't." Rossi stated defensively which made them all laugh as they headed for the house.

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Don't forget to review!!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: So, I don't own Criminal Minds, now on with the story!!

Ok, so as of this chapter I got 89 reviews. That's like a record for me! I've never gotten that many on a single story before. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing! I only need eleven more reviews to have a 100, so please, please, pleassee review!

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Morgan walked down the hall toward his bedroom to go back to bed after getting a glass of water. The others had left a few hours ago leaving himself and Garcia to get some rest for the night. The only problem was he couldn't sleep for some reason. As he reached the guest bedroom he slowly pushed the door open and stood in the doorway with a slight smile. Penelope was sound asleep on her back with her head turned toward him. The room was dark, but he could still see the bandage over her eye and her golden hair spread out over the pillow. Quietly he turned and pulled the door partly closed so that it was still open slightly. He began to walk the rest of the way to his room when he heard a moan from behind him.

Turning around quickly he hurried back to Garcia's room and opened the door. He stepped in further and saw Penelope twisting and mumbling in her sleep. There was sweat on her forehead and her face was contorted with pain as a tear ran down her cheek. Without a second thought he quickly walked to the other side of the bed and got under the sheets before sliding over to Penelope. He wrapped his arm around her waste and pulled her against his chest before using his other arm to put under her neck and around her shoulders so he could hold her as close as possible. He kissed her head gently and whispered in her ear until she began to stop shaking. Soon she had stopped all together and was sleeping peacefully again.

Morgan pulled the blanket up closer around her and kissed her cheek before closing his eyes and going to sleep as well.

As Garcia slowly began to wake up she opened her eye to look at the clock on the bedside table. It was eight o' clock. For a second she thought about getting out of bed, but she was just so comfortable. In fact she hadn't slept so well in days. So, with her eyes closed, she carefully began to turn onto her other side. She sighed contently, but suddenly realized she wasn't alone. There was something wrapped around her waist and she could smell a familiar scent; a scent that she'd recognize anywhere. Her eye popped open and she found herself face to face with Derek Morgan.

He was smiling lazily at her with his arm keeping her close to his own body.

"Good morning princess." He said softly as he began to rub circles on her back. They weren't even an inch apart and the feel of her body against him sent a shiver down his spine.

"I'll show you a good morning hot stuff." She shot back with a grin.

Morgan couldn't take it; her lips were just too close. He leaned in and captured her lips in a breathtaking kiss that left his heart racing.

"God I love you Penelope." He told her as he leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes.

"I love you too Derek." Penelope replied happily as a smile spread across her face.

Suddenly Morgan's head shot up and he started looking around as if waiting for something.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Just making sure we aren't going to get interrupted again." He answered with a smirk before kissing her again and pulling her closer.

He ran his hand up her arm as they deepened the kiss, but just as his hand reached her still sore shoulder she gasped and pulled back.

"I'm so sorry baby girl." He said worriedly as they sat up and he ran a hand through her hair.

"It's ok sugar, nothing a nice ice pack can't fix." Garcia said reassuringly with a smile before leaning over and kissing him lightly on the lips.

He nodded slightly with worry still written all over his face before starting to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To get you an ice pack and some breakfast." He answered.

Garcia just rolled her eye and smiled before starting to get out of bed as well.

"Hey, hold it, where do you think you're going?" Morgan asked as she stood up.

"To the bathroom so I can take a shower, unless of course you want to hold my hand while I do that too."

"Is that an option?" He asked and Garcia got the impression he wasn't joking.

"No way." She replied with a laugh.

"Alright, but if you need…"

"Derek, sweetie, relax I'm fine." She said with a smile and kissed his cheek as she passed.

Morgan sighed and shook his head as he watched her close the bathroom door before heading for the kitchen.

One week later….

Morgan was sitting in the waiting area reading a magazine and trying not worry to much while Garcia was in with the doctor. It'd been half an hour already and he really wanted to just go check on her. Just then his cell phone rang so he put down the magazine and looked at the caller id.

"Hey JJ, what's up?" He asked.

"Is Garcia still with the doctor?" JJ asked over the phone.

"Yeah she is. Why?"

"Well we thought…" JJ began, but just then a Dr. Micksney and Dr. Kersey walked into the waiting room.

"Sorry JJ I got to go. I'll call you later." Morgan said as soon as he saw them and hung up.

"Agent Morgan." Dr. Micksney greeted happily.

"Doctors." He replied with a nod. "How is she?"

"Quite well." Dr. Micksney answered.

"Even better than we thought she'd be actually." Dr. Kersey added with a smile. "Her eye is healing so well we decided to go ahead and remove the bandage instead of waiting. Now she'll have to avoid bright lights for at least a month and continue using the eye drops."

"Also, we'll be prescribing some special lenses for her glasses for when she uses the computer since she says she uses computers a lot. That way she won't strain her eye anymore than she has to." Dr. Micksney said. "Like we said though, her recovery is going faster than we predicted and she'll probably be able to return to work in about five weeks."

"Though knowing Ms. Garcia she'll most likely want to go back to work sooner." Dr. Kersey said with a knowing smile. "So as long as she isn't around a lot of light she can return to work in three weeks, but she has to use her new glasses and wear sunglasses when in bright areas or outside."

"And she'll still need to take it easy and not overdue it." Micksney added. "Well, I think that's about it. Ms. Garcia will be out in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you." Morgan said as he shook both doctors' hands before they turned and left.

Smiling Morgan pulled out his cell and dialed JJ's number while he waited.

"Hey JJ, sorry about hanging up on you. What was it you were going to say?" He said when JJ answered.

"Well we thought you and Garcia might want some lunch when you get done so we were going to bring some pizza over to your place." JJ replied over the phone.

"Sounds great."

"Good because Reid and I are already here and Hotch, Emily and Rossi are on their way with the food." JJ said.

"Alright then I guess we'll see you in a bit." Morgan said and laughed slightly.

"So, how's Garcia?" JJ asked and Morgan could hear Reid moving closer to the phone to listen.

Morgan turned around and saw Penelope smiling and talking to Dr. Kersey by the nurse's desk. He grinned and watched as she continued to smile. He'd never get tired of seeing that smile. "Perfect. She's absolutely perfect." He said distractedly.

"Yes Morgan we all know how you think she is, but how's her eye?" JJ asked as she chuckled.

"It's good." He answered as he continued to watch Penelope.

"You're staring at Garcia aren't you?" JJ stated more than asked. "Could you be a bit more specific?" She said when he didn't respond.

So Morgan gave her a summery of what the doctors told him and then said good bye as Penelope started making her way towards him. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses and smiling happily as she walked up to him.

"Ready to go home baby girl?" He asked with a grin as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I'm more than ready sugar." She answered as she put her arms around his neck.

He leaned down and kissed her gently before nuzzling her neck. She giggled softly making him grin mischievously and bury his face in her hair.

"I love you so much Penelope." He said as he stroked her cheek lightly and kissed her again.

"I love you too Derek." She replied happily.

"Good because you stuck with me. I won't ever let you go again. I need you." He stated seriously and then kissed her head. He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "The others are at home waiting for us so I guess we should head home." He said reluctantly.

"Ok, under one condition." She said with a smirk.

"And what's that?" Morgan asked with a grin as they made their way to the elevators.

"You got to sleep in my room again tonight so you can chase away my nightmares." She said with a knowing smile.

"No." He said and smiled when she turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're sleeping in my room, which, as of today, is our room." He said with a smirk before leaning over and kissing her lightly.

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Ok, so there's probably only going to be one more chapter and what's going to happen is up to you. I set up a pole on my profile page so you can either vote that way, send me a PM or let me know in a reveiw. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, though I would like to.

Okay, so I know you guys probably hate me right now for taking so long to update. I really am sorry. Thank you to everyone whose been reading and been so patient with my slow updating. And thank you to everyone for reviewing! Thanks to you guys I have a hundred reviews! Well this is the last chapter, so I hope you like it. And thanks again!

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Eight months later…

"Morgan stop fidgeting." Hotch ordered as he watched Morgan re-do his bow tie for what seemed the tenth time.

"It was crooked." Morgan said as he looked at himself in the mirror to make sure everything was alright.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he was nervous." Rossi stated as he leaned against the wall beside the mirror.

"Morgan, nervous on his wedding day, never." Hotch answered sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"You ready Morgan?" Reid asked as he walked through the door.

"He's been ready for the last hour." Rossi stated before walking over to Reid and Hotch.

"Well, they're just about ready to start, so you can go in now." Reid stated with a smile.

"Let's go before he figures out there's a wrinkle in his tux." Rossi said as he and Hotch lead the way out of the room with Reid and Morgan following.

"There's what?"

"Nothing Morgan, let's go before Garcia comes and kicks your ass for being late." Hotch answered with a knowing smile.

"Agent Hotchner."

Hotch nodded for the others to go on and turned around to see Director Malloy coming down the hall toward him.

"I just thought I'd let you know that everything has been taken care of." Malloy said once he stopped in front of Hotch. "I had a nice chat with Agent Strauss and some others who've been causing some trouble. There won't be any problems with Agent Garcia and Agent Morgan's marriage." He said with a smile.

"Thank you director." Hotch stated as he shook the director's hand.

"No problem at all. Though I was wondering if you'd go with me to give Penelope her wedding present. I have a feeling it would mean more if you were there."

"Of course." Hotch said and turned to lead the way to Garcia's dressing room.

"Pen if you don't stop pacing you're going to ware a hole in the floor." Emily said making JJ laugh.

"I'm sorry; it's just that I can't help feeling I've forgotten something." Garcia said as she stood in front of the mirror to check her hair.

"We took care of everything Pen, don't worry." JJ reassured her friend.

"I know." She answered with a sigh before turning around to face them. "Thank you." She said and then walked over and gave both of them a hug.

"Hey, no crying. We've already had to re-do your makeup once." Emily said with a smile as she returned the hug.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"I swear if that's Reid again…" Emily said as she went to open the door. "Oh, hey Hotch." She said once she saw who it was.

"What's up?" JJ asked as she walked over to the door as well.

"The director and I just wanted to talk with Penelope for a second." Hotch answered. "And don't worry we'll make sure she's out in time." He added with a knowing look.

"Alright, but it's only fifteen minutes before she walks down the isle." JJ said.

"And she needs to be outside the doors in at least ten minutes." Emily added.

"We'll take care of it." Hotch said with a small smile.

The two girls looked at each other and nodded slightly before turning and walking over to Garcia to give her one more hug.

"Remember, no crying." JJ said happily before turning to leave with Emily.

The two men walked in and Hotch was about to close the door behind Emily when she turned back around and looked at them.

"If she's not out there in ten minutes we're coming to get her." Emily warned before leaving and closing the door.

"How are you Penelope?" Hotch asked with a knowing smile.

"Maybe just a bit nervous." She answered truthfully.

"Trust me; you're not the only one." Hotch said with a small smile and a laugh.

"Penelope, I just wanted to give you your wedding present before the ceremony if you don't mind." Malloy said.

"Sure director, but you didn't have to get me a present." Garcia said and blushed slightly.

The director smiled, reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small black wallet. He held it out and, a bit puzzled, Penelope took it. She opened it and her confusion grew when she saw her FBI I.D. and badge.

"Look closer." Malloy said when he saw the confusion written on her face.

Penelope gasped and looked up at the two men who were smiling happily at her. "A promotion?" She asked nervously.

"As of today you are now a Supervisory Special Agent." Malloy said smiling. "You'll be over a portion of the technical department." He added happily.

"Sir, thank you, but I'd rather stay with Agent Hotchner's team." Garcia said and held the badge out to the director.

"You will be, it's just that you'll be in charge of a tech department as well." Hotch said before smiling slightly. "You don't think I'd just let you go again do you."

"Basically you'll be doing what you always have done except you'll have the title to go with the job." Malloy said with a knowing smile.

"Sir…"

"Penelope, you deserve it. After everything you've done for the team and for the FBI in general it's the least they could do. I'm proud to have you on my team and to have you as a friend." Hotch said with pride filling his voice. He stepped forward and placed both his hands on hers before closing her hand around the badge. "You should have gotten this a long time ago." He said with a smile. "Now, we better be going before Emily and JJ come barging in here to get you." Hotch added with a knowing smile.

Penelope looked down and wiped the side of her eye before the tears threatening to escape ruined her makeup again. "Thanks Hotch." She said with a smile before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. He smiled and hugged her back before stepping back and smiling proudly at her.

"Thank you director." Penelope said and then hugged Malloy as well.

"You're more than welcome Penelope. Like Hotchner said; you, of all people, deserve it." Malloy said smiling. "Now let's get you out there before Agent Morgan has a stroke."

Penelope laughed and wiped her eye softly before taking Hotch's offered arm and walking toward the door. The director smiled and opened the door for them as they made their way out into the lobby.

"Finally." Emily said with a sigh as she and JJ walked up to Penelope. "We were about to come in a get you."

"I told you." Hotch whispered to Penelope, making her laugh and him smirk.

"Congratulations Penelope, I'll see you at the reception." Malloy said still smiling before giving Garcia a quick hug and going to get his seat.

"Are you ready Pen?" JJ asked happily.

"Most defiantly." Penelope answered.

"Good then let's get lined up; the music's going to start any minute." Emily said and then hugged her friend tightly. JJ handed Penelope her bouquet and then gave her a hug before going to stand in front of the door with Emily.

Hotch and Penelope followed and stood waiting for the music to start. Penelope took a deep breathe to calm her nerves. She looked down to check her dress and noticed she was still holding her new badge. Hotch followed her gaze and turned toward her slightly.

"I'll hold on to that and it will be waiting for you when you get back from your honeymoon." Hotch said with a knowing smile as he took the badge and put it in his suite pocket.

"Hold what?" Emily asked as she turned around.

"I'll explain later." Penelope replied with a smile and a glance at Hotch who smiled back and winked.

Before JJ or Emily could ask another question the music started and the doors in front of them were opened. JJ began to walk through and was then followed by Emily.

Hotch held out his arm for Penelope who smiled up at him before taking his arm and beginning to walk through the door as well.

Time seemed to slow down as Penelope walked down the isle. She looked around and saw all her friends and the people who came to be her family. Then she looked up at the alter and everything else melted away. Derek stood up in the front staring at her lovingly with a grin and a glint in his eyes.

As she approached the alter Hotch stopped and turned toward her. Hotch wrapped her in a hug before placing her hand in Derek's. He caught Morgan's eye and gave him a look, which was clearly a warning, and once Morgan nodded slightly he winked at Penelope and took his seat in the front pew next to Morgan's mother.

The rest of the ceremony went quickly. Derek held Penelope's hands the whole time and the two continued to stare into each other's eyes as if they were the only ones in the room. Morgan knew at that moment that nothing would ever separate them again. As he looked into her eyes he wondered how he had ever lived without her. She was the missing part of his soul as well as his heart. She brought warmth, and light, joy, and love into his life and as they exchanged rings he silently vowed to never let that go. Then finally the moment came.

Smiling at the happy couple the pastor said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. Morgan, you may now…" Before he even finished the sentence Derek wrapped an arm around Penelope's waist while he used his other hand to cup her face and bring her into a kiss that sent the room into cheers.

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So what did you thank? Review please! And thanks for reading!


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